Answering when no One Wants to Hear the Answer
You know the truth; they know the truth. It’s just that no one wants to hear it. Flash back to your college days and hear the groan that followed the professor’s "quiz tomorrow" announcement. Remember your reaction when your child’s teacher called and said that your firstborn wasn’t working up to their potential. These both represent important messages delivered to people who are hoping against hope not to hear them. There are lots of these moments in business. Leaders who have messages to deliver that no one wants to hear. Layoffs. Mergers. Reorganizations. Projects that get cancelled. Mandatory overtime. In these situations the message is fixed. No amount of wordsmithing is going to make hearing about a 10 percent reduction in your workforce sound or feel better. Focus on the delivery.
DON’T send this message via voice mail, e-mail or Webcast. It will be tempting, and I know you can build a case for both efficiency and cost savings, but getting a message out isn’t the same as having a message heard.
DO deliver the message in person (or deputize others to stand in for you at various locations) so you can see your people and they can see you. The only way you can come close to guarantee that an I don’t-want-to-hear-it message is received is to look into people’s eyes.
Be creative and be thoughtful. Denial isn’t a river in Egypt. If you underestimate the criticality of delivering a consistently understood message and verifying its reception, you’re going to have a very long day.